The value of a player is up to the person buying or selling it. There's a 59avi there for more than $350.

larry

The value of a player is up to the person buying or selling it. There's a 59avi there for more than $350.

larry

The value is up to both: what a willing seller is willing to part with it for, and what a willing buyer is willing to pay for it. Currently it looks like that is around $350 to $400.

Ouch.

So the 59avi would be worth less than that?

Doesn't matter to me, since I am keeping mine until a true universal player is released that will play SACD and DVD-A, as well as Blu-ray and HD-DVD! Yes, I know, I will be waiting quite a while....and the 59avi will be worth even less then.

That's my plan, as well. I'm awfully tempted to pick up an HD-DVD player for...what's the Toshiba going for now, $299?...and there's a new BR model coming out listing for $599. However, none of them seem to play SACD. I don't have room for another box in my rack.

Doug

Thanks for the information everyone! While I really love the 59, I just can't wait out any longer. I picked up a Tosh HD-A2 and now I'll get a higher end Blu-Ray player to fill out my collection.

Thanks for the information everyone! While I really love the 59, I just can't wait out any longer. I picked up a Tosh HD-A2 and now I'll get a higher end Blu-Ray player to fill out my collection.

Let us know how those machines upconvert DVDs compared to the 59.

Cheers,
Doug

Let us know how those machines upconvert DVDs compared to the 59.

Cheers,
Doug

I'm very interested in that too actually. I'm no expert but I'll let you know what I think.

That's my plan, as well. I'm awfully tempted to pick up an HD-DVD player for...what's the Toshiba going for now, $299?...and there's a new BR model coming out listing for $599. However, none of them seem to play SACD. I don't have room for another box in my rack.

Doug

You can get the Toshiba A2 for as little as $249 with 5 free movies. And I feel your pain about lack of rack space:

http://webpages.charter.net/rob360/HT-Rack.jpg

The value is up to both: what a willing seller is willing to part with it for, and what a willing buyer is willing to pay for it. Currently it looks like that is around $350 to $400.That's what I meant. :) It takes two to tango.

larry

I am keeping mine until a true universal player is released that will play SACD and DVD-A, as well as Blu-ray and HD-DVD!

Bingo! :D

You can get the Toshiba A2 for as little as $249 with 5 free movies. And I feel your pain about lack of rack space:

http://webpages.charter.net/rob360/HT-Rack.jpg

Rob, I never thought I'd find myself saying this to a man, but...nice rack!

Doug

You can get the Toshiba A2 for as little as $249 with 5 free movies. And I feel your pain about lack of rack space:

http://webpages.charter.net/rob360/HT-Rack.jpg

I took advantage of the Crutchfield mistake and via a ABT pricematch my A2 is coming this week for only $211 shipped

Oh, and NICE RACK!

Rob, I never thought I'd find myself saying this to a man, but...nice rack!

Doug

:p

Let us know how those machines upconvert DVDs compared to the 59.

Cheers,
Doug

Doug and others,

I thought I'd follow up on this. It's VERY hard to compare the Toshiba HD-A2 to the Pio 59 because they are different animals entirely but I'll give it a shot.

HD-A2 pluses versus Pio 59 for SD Playback
-Better, clearer graphical interfaces/menus
-Easy updating of firmware

HD-A2 minuses versus Pio 59 for SD Playback
-Inferior SD upconverted pic at 1080i (all I have tested) but, and I stress, the A2 is in the ballpark
- MUCH slower response times
- MAYBE inferior sound quality on SD, DEFINITELY inferior on CD playback

In a lot of ways, the A2 just a hair worse all the way around. Fortunately, it's CHEAP and plays HD-DVDs quite well or I wouldn't own it or be posting about it! Anyway, I feel like the Pio is better in many regards but to save room on my stand and for financial reasons I'll live with the TOSH and my Pio 59 will hit eBay tomorrow night (tell your friends... it has 4+ years of a Tweeter extended warranty left!).

Best of luck to you all when you decide to persue Hi Def DVD (for those that haven't yet, I realize some of you own the best of everything and already have HD-DVD and/or Blu-Ray). If I hadn't scored my HD-A2 for 199 bucks the other day I'd still be waiting as well because the Pio 59 is a great machine. It's just that I have NO SACDs or DVD-Audio DVDs and use my iPod and very high-bitrate MP3s for music so the ability to output true 1080i for this cheap was hard to pass up.

...HD-A2 pluses versus Pio 59 for SD Playback
-Better, clearer graphical interfaces/menus
-Easy updating of firmware

HD-A2 minuses versus Pio 59 for SD Playback
-Inferior SD upconverted pic at 1080i (all I have tested) but, and I stress, the A2 is in the ballpark
- MUCH slower response times
- MAYBE inferior sound quality on SD, DEFINITELY inferior on CD playback...

Thanks for the feedback. Those pluses are of negligible importance for me, but the minuses are very important to me. While I'm itching to delve into HD discs, I'll hold off for a while. Based upon what I've read lately, I might be tempted by a BR player around Xmas, but I guess I'd better pay off my plasma first! Anyway, I'm still thrilled at the video and audio performance of the 59, and am not in any hurry to get rid of it.

Regards,
Doug

I'm still thrilled at the video and audio performance of the 59, and am not in any hurry to get rid of it.

Can't blame you, it's a great player no doubt!

Anyway, I'm still thrilled at the video and audio performance of the 59, and am not in any hurry to get rid of it.

Regards,
Doug

Same here Doug! Despite owning the Pioneer Elite HD1 Blu-ray player, and the Toshiba A1, I still love my 59avi for SD DVD's, and, of course, playing SACD and DVD-A! :cool:

I will be just waiting for every thing to fall in place with the HD players. There is just to many unknowns with them. So I will wait to see Be for I buy a new player

Can somebody tell me what version is the HDMI out on the 59avi, since I got no SACD sound after hooking up with my new Onkyo 805 receiver. I know if it is 1.1 version or earlier, no SACD sound can be transmitted thru HDMI. If it is 1.2 version n somebody has the same setup, please advise the proper setting.

Also, I cannot get 5-channel DTS or Dolby Digital signal to 805 thru HDMI, since the input display on the 805 only has Left n Right channel show up.


Thanks in advance.

It is 1.1. You will need to use the analog outs for SACD. I learned this recently too, when I tried to use the HDMI for SACD going to my Anthem Statement D2. Won't work. :(

Can somebody tell me what version is the HDMI out on the 59avi, since I got no SACD sound after hooking up with my new Onkyo 805 receiver. I know if it is 1.1 version or earlier, no SACD sound can be transmitted thru HDMI. If it is 1.2 version n somebody has the same setup, please advise the proper setting.

Also, I cannot get 5-channel DTS or Dolby Digital signal to 805 thru HDMI, since the input display on the 805 only has Left n Right channel show up.

Thanks in advance.

Regardless of the HDMI version, the DV-59AVi manual states
(page 24) that 'It is not possible to ouptput SACD or copy
controlled DVD-Audio CPPM sources form the HDMI connection'.
Another victory for the Hollywood paranoids.

-- Ron

Thanks for the confirmation on the 1.1 version HDMI. Will use 5.1 channel analog cables then.


UOTE=Rob Tomlin]It is 1.1. You will need to use the analog outs for SACD. I learned this recently too, when I tried to use the HDMI for SACD going to my Anthem Statement D2. Won't work. :([/QUOTE]

Thanks for the confirmation on the 1.1 version HDMI. Will use 5.1 channel analog cables then.


UOTE=Rob Tomlin]It is 1.1. You will need to use the analog outs for SACD. I learned this recently too, when I tried to use the HDMI for SACD going to my Anthem Statement D2. Won't work. :(

No problem. Still sounds great, just too many wires!

Actually, I think is downres'es copy controlled DVD-A's through HDMI. So I think they will play, just not at the native resolution in the disc. Non copy controlled DVD-A's I believe will play at full resolution.

I get my SACD through firewire and it sounds awesome!!

I get my SACD through firewire and it sounds awesome!!

I was going to suggest firewire as well but I don't think his Onkyo 805 takes firewire and even if it did, it probably has a different implementation than Pioneer's software.

It's been documented here before that in almost all cases, components from different manufacturers do work together with an iLink connection.

I love my 59avi...got the firmwear update and used the heck out of it for DVD, SACD and DVD-A. But just purchased a PS3 for blueray and media server and I think I like the DVD Player with it's upconvertion better than the 59avi. Even that strange bluetooth game control remote has great OSD features.

So can someone remind me again why the 59avi should be my primary DVD player. Except for DVD-A, the PS3 seems to have taken over.

I love my 59avi...got the firmwear update and used the heck out of it for DVD, SACD and DVD-A. But just purchased a PS3 for blueray and media server and I think I like the DVD Player with it's upconvertion better than the 59avi. Even that strange bluetooth game control remote has great OSD features.

So can someone remind me again why the 59avi should be my primary DVD player. Except for DVD-A, the PS3 seems to have taken over.

Eric, I just bought a PS3 about a month ago. It upconverts DVDs better than the 59. I used to think the 59 looked fantastic, but the PS3 reveals a lot more detail, with less artifacts, than the 59. Some of the difference might be due to upconverting to 1080p vs. 1080i (my TV accepts 1080p), but I don't know.

The only drawback to the PS3 is the fan noise. It interferes w/ quiet passages in movies and SACD listening somewhat. I might keep the 59 for audio.

Regards,
Doug

Just a confirmation:

My 59AVi has been doing some wierd things. Some of my DVD-+Rs that used to work, no longer do. However, if I close the transport door and quickly skip a few chapters ahead, it seems to work...most of the time. It can take up to a half-dozen tries to get it to work.

Other DVD-+ R disks (older ones in my library) seem to work just fine however.
Does the laser need allignment and the firmware upgrade...will that help me at all?

I've got the 59AVi out for service and am hoping that all that effort is going to help. Otherwise I just may opt for the XBOX360 HD DVD add-on as my main player.

I love my 59avi...got the firmwear update

Does the machine have to be sent in to be updated or can I do this via a download?

Does the machine have to be sent in to be updated or can I do this via a download?Needs to be updated by a technician...an authorized Pio Elite tech will do it for free provided your 59AVi is within the two year warranty period. Otherwise there'd be some sort of fee, I'm sure.

I also found out the 59 also has problem sending out multi-PCM thru HDMI to Onkyo 805, since I can only get stereo signal only on regular DVD movies with DTS or AC3 track.

Can somebody tell me why. What should I set on the 59 menu to get PCM properly ?

change your "hdmi audio" setting to "auto"...

Thanks for the tip n it is all working now. Hope there is a firmware upgrade that can make SACD work thru HDMI out.

good. glad it worked. :)

technically it's possible to do the 1.1 to 1.2 upgrade (so that you could pass sacd over hdmi), and i'd like to see it too (fewer cables would be nice).

but i'm not going to hold my breath waiting for it. i can't see pio wasting the resources that it would take to implement it. that's a boatload of coding (not to mention testing to make sure they don't screw up anything else) for no real buyback at all for them.

Shoot, if the 79AVi was never updated to HDMI 1.2, you can bet the 59AVi will never see a firmware upgrade to do it. Besides, Pio has a brand new player they'd much rather sell you: ;)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=904061

Don't you think it is a little bit too late to release a regular 1080P DVD player with 1.2a HDMI, especially at a premium price. Who will buy it ?

well... 1.2a is really all you would need for a "regular" dvd/universal player... correct me if i'm wrong, but 1.3 isn't relevant for "regular" dvds (heck, it's not really relevant for "hd-flavor dvds")...

if it msrp's for 5, and streets for 4, and sounds good, there will be a market for it... especially if the video is equal to/better than a 59avi (which remains to be seen)... sadly enough, my 59 won't last forever...

kevin, yea, i'm not betting the ranch on that firmware update, that's for sure... you'd think that they would have done it just to stop me from me emailing them and badgering them about it though... :D

I think ac388's point was: why would anyone buy a premium SD player now, when you can get a decent BD or HD DVD player that will also do a good job upconverting SD to 1080p, and at around the same price?

Doug

fair enough point...

sonics might come into play though... i'm thinking that at a 400 dollar street price, they can probably sell them...

although if you were going to spend that 400, you could go for the lower end hd-dvd player (for example) and save 250, then add another 300 to it and get a 3930 with the realta for scaling (and an arguably "better sounding" machine)....

If I am not mistaken, the Toshiba XA-2 is selling at $499 or lower , which also has a very good scaler inside, which isn't really an low-end player by any means.

Plus, quite a few 1.3HDMI AV recievers are on the market now n 1.3 displays are forthcoming this year. So for me, it would not make any sense if you are in the market now for a DVD player n get one that does not comply with those receiver n display.

another fair point...

but i think you missed mine... :)

the xa2 (top of the line hd-dvd player, fwiw), doesn't play either sacd or dvd-a... it DOES upscale well though (reon based)...

so...

you could get the a3 (for about 250 less than the xa2), sell the 59avi for 200, then throw in the original 400 and get a refurb 3930, which not only is realta based, but will play sacd/dvd-a, and i'm willing to bet will sound noticeably better than the xa2...

1.3 isn't relevant to me... others may feel differently...

i'm not disagreeing with you... just looking at it from a different perspective (since i'm struggling with this decision right now)...

Noted your point. That's why I am keeping my 59 n waiting for the right time to upgrade from A2 to A30 or A35, so I will have all bases cover.

I'm returning my PS3 due to the fan noise. I just know it's going to bother me every time I try to watch a movie or listen to music. So, I'm back to my trusty 59!

Doug

Hi.
Have someone tried to connect a Hdfury to Hdmi on this wonderfull dvd-player?

Peter

Question what is Hdfury

Question what is Hdfury

http://www.hdfury.com/

Interesting. I like the HDCP compliance hand wave. :)

larry

The Hdfury work to the player.:)
If you use short cable.
Lenght over 8 foot (2m) you must put a Hdmi switch or a repeter.
Because the signal from the player is veak..:rolleyes:
/ Peter

Hi all,

I had my Pio Elite 84 firmware updated to fix the LFE bug (when using PCM on HDMI). Since then I've played DVD-A (which sound great and have the appropriate bass) and SACD (which seem lacking in the mid-bass to bass region). I don't have any titles in both formats so it's hard for me to compare apples to apples. As I'm playing DVD-A/SACD exclusively through the iLink, there should be no issues with speaker delay. Anyone know what might be the problem? Do I have to do something special b/w the 59/84 for SACD playback? One possibility could also be the particular SACD. I was listening to Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 as conducted by Karajan. It seemed to be lacking in power...

Not sure if it's the same in the 59avi, but with the Pioneer DV-45a, in addition to the above, you might also consider setting speaker levels to 'Variable' and then set the levels to 0 dB trim/boost. While transferring some hi-rez discs to digital for portable use (i.e., capturing and redigitizing the line-level 2-channel analog output as 32/88.2 and then dithering/downsampling to 16/44.1) I found to my dismay that if you set the player's speaker levels to 'fixed' (which sets all channels at +6 dB) the output actually *clips* on many tracks: The waveforms have peaks that have been 'shaved' flat. Setting the speaker level to variable/0 restores the natural waveform peaks, with full dynamic range.

Great find!! I found the same thing when setting up my player to work with my Marantz SR8001. The Marantz has a PEAK indicator light that helps identify when analog inputs exceed the receiver's capability. I was getting the PEAK indicator often so I looked into the settings on both the receiver and player. It turns out the 59avi does what you said. At "Fixed" it sets all channels to +6db. The manual confirms this and suggests using "Variable" set to 0db. This fixed my issue with clipping and the PEAK light no longer comes on. Thank goodness for that PEAK indicator light.

I still have a DV-59AVI in perfect condition sitting around gathering dust. But with all the hoopla with HD DVD and now BD - are these worth anything to anyone if I decided to part with it? Would hate to just toss it away if this is still a great find for someone who'd need it. Thanks!

Keep it it upconverts DVD better than Blueray.

I still have a DV-59AVI in perfect condition sitting around gathering dust. But with all the hoopla with HD DVD and now BD - are these worth anything to anyone if I decided to part with it? Would hate to just toss it away if this is still a great find for someone who'd need it. Thanks!

Apparently there's a good market for this particular player as plenty of people are pissed that Pioneer/Denon haven't come up with a universal BD player. In addition, the fact that it has iLink is an added bonus. Try putting it in the AVS Classifieds or eBay/Audiogon. You should probably get a fairly decent price.

Apparently there's a good market for this particular player as plenty of people are pissed that Pioneer/Denon haven't come up with a universal BD player. In addition, the fact that it has iLink is an added bonus. Try putting it in the AVS Classifieds or eBay/Audiogon. You should probably get a fairly decent price.

I agree. I sold mine on Audiogon ($340, I think) to an enthusiast who also has a Pio AVR, so he uses ilink (I never did). I'm glad it went to a loving home.

Doug

Thanks for the info guys. Yes, I remember that debate when the newer players were coming out (BD), and everyone was screaming about the i-Link.

And Dan, didn't realize that, as it was so long ago when I last used it. Went and found the manual, and it will go up to 1080i, wonder what chip is in it? Farouja?

But if I were to hook it up, lets say to my Onkyo 805, I take it the HDMI would be best. But if I were to hook it up to the 56TXi, use the i-Link or the optical? And then HDMI to the plasma?

I still have a DV-59AVI in perfect condition sitting around gathering dust. But with all the hoopla with HD DVD and now BD - are these worth anything to anyone if I decided to part with it? Would hate to just toss it away if this is still a great find for someone who'd need it. Thanks!

I have a refurb 59AVI that I NEVER used. I would love to sell mine too, if the price was right! :cool:

Thanks for the info guys. Yes, I remember that debate when the newer players were coming out (BD), and everyone was screaming about the i-Link.

And Dan, didn't realize that, as it was so long ago when I last used it. Went and found the manual, and it will go up to 1080i, wonder what chip is in it? Farouja?

But if I were to hook it up, lets say to my Onkyo 805, I take it the HDMI would be best. But if I were to hook it up to the 56TXi, use the i-Link or the optical? And then HDMI to the plasma?

The 59AVi doesn't use Faroudja. It uses in-house tech similar to what is being used in the current BD players. Pioneer calls it PureCinema.

You would do HDMI to the TV for video and iLink for audio if you were using the 56TXi. If the iLink doesn't allow audio when HDMI is active, then you're stuck with optical for audio.

The 59AVi doesn't use Faroudja. It uses in-house tech similar to what is being used in the current BD players. Pioneer calls it PureCinema.

You would do HDMI to the TV for video and iLink for audio if you were using the 56TXi. If the iLink doesn't allow audio when HDMI is active, then you're stuck with optical for audio.

If I remember correctly, I think I did use it that way, and it worked. Because I now remember I had a Gefen HDMI 2>1 switcher, and the other port was for my DirecTV HD DVR when I had them back in SoCal. So yeah, the i-Link did work with the HDMI to the TV.

But I have now decided to hell with Onkyo. I will be selling my 805, my PS3 (original 60 GIG), and both Pio 56IXi receiver and 59AVi DVD player shortly, and getting a new receiver = either a Denon 1909/2309 or Pioneer 1018 or 94THX/SC05. The 805 is not really broken, and still under warranty for another year, but I just won't deal with having to send it all across the country.

And hey, you want to talk about old stuff? I STILL have my old Sony DVP S7000 DVD player! For years, it was THE reference all others compared themselves to. Was so cool seeing that large door drop down to open up the tray LOL.

By the way, is there anywhere on here where I could post, and ask for the value of my items I will be selling? I don't want to low ball myself, but I also don't want to make it so high no one would be interested. But EVERYTHING I have, is in excellent condition, and is top of the line (in its time LOL). Because I always buy stuff like this with the full intention of keeping it forever (well, until obsolete and I upgrade it). And as some of you have mentioned, items like the 59AVi is worth a lot to the right person seeking SACD and i-Link.

Thanks for ALL your help too!!!!

Keep it it upconverts DVD better than Blueray.
Actually, the Pioneer DV-59AVi up-converts to 1080i.
In my case, I get a significantly better picture by
feeding 480p to my Mitsubuishi WD-73833 amd letting
the TV do the upconversion (to 1080p). Of course,
YMMV.

More to the point: I would keep it. It's a very reliable
player. The IEEE1394 (ilink) works beautifuly (at least,
with an Integra research RDC-7.1 pre-pro) and picture
quality with the Mitsu often rivals true HD.

In addition, no BD player let's you listen to DVD-A or
SACD and BD discs are still too expensive.

-- Ron

By the way, is there anywhere on here where I could post, and ask for the value of my items I will be selling? I don't want to low ball myself, but I also don't want to make it so high no one would be interested. But EVERYTHING I have, is in excellent condition, and is top of the line (in its time LOL). Because I always buy stuff like this with the full intention of keeping it forever (well, until obsolete and I upgrade it). And as some of you have mentioned, items like the 59AVi is worth a lot to the right person seeking SACD and i-Link.

Thanks for ALL your help too!!!!
Easy. Just do a search on ebay and/or Audiogon.

-- Ron

I have been using my 59AVi for a few weeks now, and it still does work amazing. Picture is sharp, colors awesome. Only problem with with some 4:3 TV movies/shows on DVD. I keep having to change the HDMI setting from 16:9 wide to compressed, in order for it to not stretch.

Last night, I did a test with the movie, Hotel Rwanda. Played the same scenes over and over on the 59AVi, PS3, A35, and even my XBox 360. I would say the quality of pic/color/sharpness would go (from best to worst) like this:

59AVi>A35>PS3>XBox 360.

But as the A35 was pretty close, and as I have been laid off for a few months now, I will need (SADLY) to be selling my 59AVi in the next day or so. Will also be parting with my 56TXi receiver that I bought with it. Good news too - I checked with BB and their extended warranty is still good till Dec 28 2008!!!! Will also be dumping my old Pronto Pro TSU7000. Keep an eye out on E-Bay in the next day or so, for I TOO would love to see someone who needs the DVD-A, SACD, and i-Link badly, give it a good home. As I only used it for movies, they would put it to even better use than I ever did.

And THANKS for all your help guys!

I have been using my 59AVi for a few weeks now, and it still does work amazing. Picture is sharp, colors awesome. Only problem with with some 4:3 TV movies/shows on DVD. I keep having to change the HDMI setting from 16:9 wide to compressed, in order for it to not stretch.
...snap


I had the same problem for years and eventually I found there is a way to have this taken care automatically, so that now DVD with main feature in 16:9 and special content in 4:3 appears as they should automatically on my HDMI projector. The problem is I do not remember how I dis (but it was a setting on the DV59.

I had the same problem for years and eventually I found there is a way to have this taken care automatically, so that now DVD with main feature in 16:9 and special content in 4:3 appears as they should automatically on my HDMI projector. The problem is I do not remember how I dis (but it was a setting on the DV59.

Watching the old George Lazenby James Bond movie (Majesty's Secret Service) tonight, I had it set to 16:9 compressed. And I could see the screen actually re-size for the 4:3 parts of the extra's on the DVD. So I think that is what you might be thinking about.

DARN I so wish Pioneer comes out with an AFFORDABLE Blu-Ray player that also has BD Live on it. Then I would not feel like I am going to be missing something selling the 59AVi :(

I'm waiting to see the new Oppo DB which is expected to come end of the year with DB live 2.0 and SACD and DVD-A...:)

I have been using my 59AVi for a few weeks now, and it still does work amazing. Picture is sharp, colors awesome. Only problem with with some 4:3 TV movies/shows on DVD. I keep having to change the HDMI setting from 16:9 wide to compressed, in order for it to not stretch.

Sorry about your economic situation, and I hope it improves soon.

Why not always leave it on Compressed? That's what I did, and it seems to display everything properly.

Doug

PS Now I'm using an Oppo, and it displays properly, too. It's frustrating because my 2 HD players, Samsung 5000 and LG BH200, don't do it. They stretch everything.

Sorry about your economic situation, and I hope it improves soon.

Why not always leave it on Compressed? That's what I did, and it seems to display everything properly.

Doug

PS Now I'm using an Oppo, and it displays properly, too. It's frustrating because my 2 HD players, Samsung 5000 and LG BH200, don't do it. They stretch everything.

Forgot why, but I think it was because some other movies (TV shows?) I had watched didn't look right when using compressed. But for now, I have been leaving it on compressed, and when the different videos played in this old James Bond movies, it was normal WS during the movie, and then you could see the screen suddenly shrink/change from the 16:9 > 4:3.

Another great thing about this player - many with the newest 51's and 05's are complaining about delays during layer changes. This never has that problem :)

nice nice


http://www.hostchecker.info/image1.jpg

Another great thing about this player - many with the newest 51's and 05's are complaining about delays during layer changes. This never has that problem :)

The layer change is pretty quick. I replaced the 59AVi with an Oppo 980 and a Samsung 5000. The Samsung layer change pause is VERY slow - nearly a second on some DVDs. However, it's completely transparent on the Oppo - much faster than the 59AVi.

Doug

The layer change is pretty quick. I replaced the 59AVi with an Oppo 980 and a Samsung 5000. The Samsung layer change pause is VERY slow - nearly a second on some DVDs. However, it's completely transparent on the Oppo - much faster than the 59AVi.

Doug

I see you are also on the LG BH200 posts too :) I much prefer the BH200 to the Samsung 5000 I just bought last night (because I could not find another BH200), though both seem to share some same items/systems. I found the BH200 having better quality of build as well, and much nicer to use (not to mention also a far better remote!). And also the Samsung is truly very slow - even with the HD DVD popup menus than the BH200. But once playing, all three seem to have a great picture quality (56, 200, 5000). The only problem, or major drawback with the 200/5000 vs the 56AVi is that only the 56AVi seems to handle the 4:3 videos properly (due to the 16:9 "compressed" setting), the other two NEWER players have no setting, and thus stretch the pic to fit the entire screen and screw up enjoying the movie.

I see you are also on the LG BH200 posts too :) I much prefer the BH200 to the Samsung 5000 I just bought last night (because I could not find another BH200), though both seem to share some same items/systems. I found the BH200 having better quality of build as well, and much nicer to use (not to mention also a far better remote!). And also the Samsung is truly very slow - even with the HD DVD popup menus than the BH200. But once playing, all three seem to have a great picture quality (56, 200, 5000). The only problem, or major drawback with the 200/5000 vs the 56AVi is that only the 56AVi seems to handle the 4:3 videos properly (due to the 16:9 "compressed" setting), the other two NEWER players have no setting, and thus stretch the pic to fit the entire screen and screw up enjoying the movie.

I haven't done a side-by-side comparison of the Samsung vs. the LG. I've had the Samsung in my main setup since January; I just got the LG a few weeks ago and it's in my basement setup. Like you said, they're very similar in core functionality, but have different features. And, I agree that the biggest headache for me with both is the 4:3 stretching. At this point, I don't expect we'll get any more updates or fixes from either company.

Doug

I haven't done a side-by-side comparison of the Samsung vs. the LG. I've had the Samsung in my main setup since January; I just got the LG a few weeks ago and it's in my basement setup. Like you said, they're very similar in core functionality, but have different features. And, I agree that the biggest headache for me with both is the 4:3 stretching. At this point, I don't expect we'll get any more updates or fixes from either company.

Doug

Well, the BH200 *MIGHT* as it may share some parts with their new BD300 coming soon. And that might be an option for BD (and NetFlix streaming) and as the Tosh A35 does a decent DVD upscale (and does indeed show the 4:3 correctly with no need to change any setup), use that for HD and DVD. But either way, the Samsung 5000 is going BACK, and as of tonight, I put the 59AVi on E-Bay.

The 59AVi doesn't use Faroudja. It uses in-house tech similar to what is being used in the current BD players. Pioneer calls it PureCinema.

You would do HDMI to the TV for video and iLink for audio if you were using the 56TXi. If the iLink doesn't allow audio when HDMI is active, then you're stuck with optical for audio.

The 58avi does awesome audio too. I think using analog outputs to my receiver gives great audio because the 59avi's Burr Brown's are processing. If you use the HDMI or Coax, the receiver's DACs will convert the audio and they may not be as good as the 59avi's. I think my Marantz receiver has Cirrus Logic DACs.

For video the added plus is the 59avi also outputs pure 480i. So if you have a scaler, you can send it a pure 480i signal, the pure signal as it is on the DVD and let the scaler handle it. I typically let the 59avi scale my image and I think it even has a setting that is point for point pixel map to my plasma. Two nice features for a humble DVD player.

Did I mention the audio is great too?

Just an FYI - I had put the 59AVi up on E-Bay, but no bite as of yet.

Finally settled on the Samsung 2500, which has the Reon HQV for an upscaller, and so far it is working just great.

The 58avi does awesome audio too. I think using analog outputs to my receiver gives great audio because the 59avi's Burr Brown's are processing. If you use the HDMI or Coax, the receiver's DACs will convert the audio and they may not be as good as the 59avi's. I think my Marantz receiver has Cirrus Logic DACs.


I also have a 59avi connected via iLink to a Pio VSX-84TXSi (AX4 in Europe) and
while I'm using iLink for the audio I have the impression that
letting the conversion be done by the 59avi sounds "better/roomier".

Because I do not have the spec for the converters of the 84TXSi (with respect to the
one of the 59avi) I do not know if this "impression" is real or not.

The 58avi does awesome audio too. I think using analog outputs to my receiver gives great audio because the 59avi's Burr Brown's are processing. If you use the HDMI or Coax, the receiver's DACs will convert the audio and they may not be as good as the 59avi's. I think my Marantz receiver has Cirrus Logic DACs.

For video the added plus is the 59avi also outputs pure 480i. So if you have a scaler, you can send it a pure 480i signal, the pure signal as it is on the DVD and let the scaler handle it. I typically let the 59avi scale my image and I think it even has a setting that is point for point pixel map to my plasma. Two nice features for a humble DVD player.

Did I mention the audio is great too?
I understand the DV-59AVi HDMI output carries video
only -- no audio. I have it connected with HDMI for
video and iLink for audio. Both video and audio are
outstanding. Some DVDs look almost as good as HD.
I prefer to output 480p and let the TV (Mitsubishi
WD-73833) do the upscaling, since the TV offers
more format options then when fed by 1080i.

-- Ron

The DV59 HDMI does support DD/DTS audio but not DVD-AUDIO or SACD. (it has HDMI 1.0
see also http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1074506)

So if you are only watching movies in DD/DTS then one HDMI connection is enough,
if you want (as I do) also have DVD-A and SACD then iLink is needed.

For simplicity I keep myself the system always on HDMI for Video and iLink for audio.

I just acquired the 59avi and I seem to be having trouble hooking it up with my Marantz receiver 5003. The dvd player's HDMI blue LED just keeps flashing for some reason and no video or audio is outputted. When I plug the player directly into my TV's HDMI port, it works fine. Anyone else had this type of problem?

I just acquired the 59avi and I seem to be having trouble hooking it up with my Marantz receiver 5003. The dvd player's HDMI blue LED just keeps flashing for some reason and no video or audio is outputted. When I plug the player directly into my TV's HDMI port, it works fine. Anyone else had this type of problem?check back a few pages. There's a procedure to reset the unit back to factory settings by holding a combination of buttons upon power-up. I suspect that some of the configuration/settings settings could be corrupted. Does the audio play when you connect it directly to the TV's HDMI port?

check back a few pages. There's a procedure to reset the unit back to factory settings by holding a combination of buttons upon power-up. I suspect that some of the configuration/settings settings could be corrupted. Does the audio play when you connect it directly to the TV's HDMI port?

I tried to reset the unit by the pressing the Stop button and the Power/Standby button and going through the little setup wizard after resetting, but still no video and audio through the receiver to the TV. The audio and video plays fine through the TV when the HDMI is plugged in directly. Could it be that there is an HDMI "handshake" problem between my receiver and the DV-59avi?

I tried to reset the unit by the pressing the Stop button and the Power/Standby button and going through the little setup wizard after resetting, but still no video and audio through the receiver to the TV. The audio and video plays fine through the TV when the HDMI is plugged in directly. Could it be that there is an HDMI "handshake" problem between my receiver and the DV-59avi?Perhaps. The 59AVi is an early adopter of HDMI so there may be some version incompatibility. It's hard to say for sure. Can you ensure that you've gone though any set-up or menu item on the receiver side? Maybe the HDMI-audio is routed to Optical or Coaxial Out, that would turned off on that HDMI port.

I tried to reset the unit by the pressing the Stop button and the Power/Standby button and going through the little setup wizard after resetting, but still no video and audio through the receiver to the TV. The audio and video plays fine through the TV when the HDMI is plugged in directly. Could it be that there is an HDMI "handshake" problem between my receiver and the DV-59avi?

Use component/composite/S-video for video first and see if you need to enable the HDMI port in the setup menu.

I just acquired the 59avi and I seem to be having trouble hooking it up with my Marantz receiver 5003. The dvd player's HDMI blue LED just keeps flashing for some reason and no video or audio is outputted. When I plug the player directly into my TV's HDMI port, it works fine. Anyone else had this type of problem?have you had anything connected (successfully) to that HDMI port before...like another dvd player? I tend to believe that the receiver is suspect.

have you had anything connected (successfully) to that HDMI port before...like another dvd player? I tend to believe that the receiver is suspect.

No I haven't thought about testing that particular HDMI port on the receiver to see if that's the cause of the problem. I am also going to check that optical output setting as you suggest above.

Use component/composite/S-video for video first and see if you need to enable the HDMI port in the setup menu.

I will give that a try. I tried checking the HDMI setting in the setup menu but for some reason its grayed out.

Milenkod and EWL5, thanks for the suggestions/help! I am at work right now but when I get home tonight I will try out what you two suggested and let you know the results.

Milenkod and EWL5, thanks for the suggestions/help! I am at work right now but when I get home tonight I will try out what you two suggested and let you know the results.I suspect that there something amiss at the reviver as you stated HDMI works fine direct-to-TV. Good luck when you get home to test it out and update us if you need further suggestions.

So I tried what you two suggested but it wouldn't work. :-(

I tried my PS3 in all 3 HDMI inputs on the receiver to make sure they were working properly and then tried the 59AVI on all three. I think the receiver is the suspect in this situation. I am going to post on the Marantz forum specific to my receiver to see if any one else had trouble connecting other devices through the HDMI. In the meantime, I think I'll stick with the video connected HDMI to the TV and audio optical out to the receiver.

I sure hope some of the 59avi experts are still watching this thread to give me some direction.

I noticed the other day that my 59avi was outputting content as 4:3 screen shape, i.e. 1.78:1 anamorphic material has black bars on top and bottom.

I figured no big deal, the setting must have changed from 16:9 to 4:3. So, I go into change it back, and it won't change! The screen size option is grayed-out, and the dot is on 4:3. When I try to select 16:9, it just says "This option is not available" or similar.

I am using HDMI 1080i for video and IEEE1394 for audio. No other connections to the player.

16:9 definitely worked before, last week! No changes were made that I can recall.

My setup is similar to yours except I output HDMI 480i for video and IEEE1394 for audio. When I go into the initial Menu I see the 16:9 option is selected and the options are grayed out. If I try to change it I get the same "This option is not available" as you. It's been so long since I was setting this up I can't recall if it was always like this.

But... In the Initial Menu/Options/HDMI you can select the screen size (4:3 Letterbox, 4:3 Pan and Scan, 16:9 Wide or 16:9 Compressed). These are changeable for me and I think they are controlling the HDMI output.

Might be worth a try.

Mike

I just got one of these (DV-59avi) at a swap meet for >>>$5.00!!!<<<. I do not have a AVR yet but am currently shopping for one. Disappointing is that no AVR's seem to have iLink any more. What options would i have with this DVD player to output DVD and Sacd audio to any receiver i am considering?

I just got one of these (DV-59avi) at a swap meet for >>>$5.00!!!<<<. I do not have a AVR yet but am currently shopping for one. Disappointing is that no AVR's seem to have iLink any more. What options would i have with this DVD player to output DVD and Sacd audio to any receiver i am considering?

Go to this link and you can download the owners manual.

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Support/HomeEntertainment/Blu-rayDisc+DVD/EliteDVDPlayers/ci.DV-59AVi.Support

Mike

I sure hope some of the 59avi experts are still watching this thread to give me some direction.

I noticed the other day that my 59avi was outputting content as 4:3 screen shape, i.e. 1.78:1 anamorphic material has black bars on top and bottom.

I figured no big deal, the setting must have changed from 16:9 to 4:3. So, I go into change it back, and it won't change! The screen size option is grayed-out, and the dot is on 4:3. When I try to select 16:9, it just says "This option is not available" or similar.

I am using HDMI 1080i for video and IEEE1394 for audio. No other connections to the player.

16:9 definitely worked before, last week! No changes were made that I can recall.
I have a similar setup, outputting 480p through HDMI
and audio through i-Link, so your post got me curious.
I looked at my Initial Setup and, sure enough, the TV
Screen option was grayed out and could not be
changed.

It occurred to me that the HDMI connection disables
this menu option. To test, I switched the output to
component video and disconnected the HDMI cable.
Sure enough, I could now choose any video screen
option. After reconnecting the HDMI cable, Video
Screen was grayed out again.

Since your settings changed spuriously, I suggest you
do the following: disconnect HDMI and connect video
through any other port. Then, reset the player (turn
player off, then hold down Stop and turn it on). This
will clear all your settings to factory defaults. Now, go
through the menu and adjust everything to your liking.
Finally, restore the HDMI connection. I hope this will
solve the problem.

Good luck,

-- Ron

Ron,

That totally worked! Thanks for the great tip. I dunno how it got reset in the first place, but now I have it back on 16:9, hooked up to HDMI. And of course it is grayed-out now too. Hopefully it stays that way.

The Hdfury work to the player.:)
If you use short cable.
Lenght over 8 foot (2m) you must put a Hdmi switch or a repeter.
Because the signal from the player is veak..:rolleyes:
/ Peter

I'm using the 59 with the HDFury2 now. Actually it has a stronger power signal than most HDMI sources. No problems with 2m or 3m cable, while there are issues with my other sources (HD-A2, SA-4250HD) providing a stable signal. The HDMI spec only calls for 50mA while the Fury requires 10x that, so I think the Pioneer is doing a good job indeed!

Along with bringing me into the 21st century and the benefits of HDMI, this has brought me questions about the HDMI picture settings. I see from the first page and Carl's posts that there are issues with clipping BTB and WTW. Is RGB mode (HDMI Color = Enhanced) with Carl's settings still recommended?

I saw later posts suggesting the clipping only ocurred with 480i. I'm using 1080i with the HDFury outputting analog RGB. So does that mean we're back to using Direct mode (HDMI Color = Standard)? I've tried both with display calibrated to both and can't decide.

Note that the Fury2 does clip BTB and perform a 16-235 "stretch" to 0-255 when fed a YCbCr signal (HDMI Standard) but NOT when fed digital RGB. So as you can see I'm paranoid that there's only one magic combo of settings that will give me the full range without compression or clipping.

The best way to test if the player is clipping BTB (and if so, most likely WTW also) is to first get a test DVD with known BTB video. When you raise brightness (black level) on the display you should always be able to see the BTB video at some level of display brightness. You should still be able to see BTB video after you lower the brightness control on the player. This will detect the possible scenario where the player clips BTB but by default (neutral brightness) raises the black level. e.g. if the BTB video is 15 and the player elevates the black level by 1 to make it 16, then the video is no longer BTB, it is black and will be output. The player may do this because of improper default setup at the factory or some other reason. This is why you want to lower the brightness on the player a tick or two to ensure that the BTB video is really output as BTB. You should always be able to see it on the display by raising display brightness. If by lowering brightness on the player a tick or two causes BTB to no longer be visible on the display after raising display brightness, then the player is clipping.

I would think that using Carl's settings for RGB would work like you want. IIRC he got correct video output with RGB.

larry

Thanks Larry,

I tried it with the basic BTB and white crush test patterns and Carl's settings seemed to work. I have the original VE and AVIA, and DVE.

Does anyone know what test DVD has more advanced near black and near white tests like the ones on AVS-HD? I would like to confirm Carl's findings on my unit which has an older firmware.

Is anyone still using HDMI Direct mode with this player (not in 480i)? In the end, I hope to determine if I should use this mode and let the Fury to the upscaling/stretch or configure the player correctly to do all the work.

I'm getting a lot of banding with Carl's settings, particularly noticeable on animated movies like The Clone Wars. Maybe my model (firmware) is different, but it's as if there's some extra color depth scaling going on.

I've gone back to using DIRECT mode, BTB be damned. Is anyone here still using Carl's settings that isn't using an outboard scaler (480i)?

Is anyone still listening or is this a dead product?:o

I'm getting a lot of banding with Carl's settings, particularly noticeable on animated movies like The Clone Wars. Maybe my model (firmware) is different, but it's as if there's some extra color depth scaling going on.

I've gone back to using DIRECT mode, BTB be damned. Is anyone here still using Carl's settings that isn't using an outboard scaler (480i)?

Is anyone still listening or is this a dead product?:ohhmmm....not sure how to respond.

All I know is that after having my firmware updated I've had nothing but stellar picture quality and performance from any DVD I've put though this player. It's been so great in fact that I have no desire whatsoever to jump to blueray. I'm outputting 1080i over HDMI and audio over 1394.

This player kicks. I have been using mine for more than four years.

This player kicks. I have been using mine for more than four years.

Ditto! :cool:

OK, I have firmware 506 and the PQ looks great but can anyone confirm these settings?


Settings to Avoid White and Black Crush

The player suffers from white crush over HDMI in the default setting. All white information over 235 gets discarded. I've been measuring the HDMI port data, and found one, and only one, setting where the player behaves like it should. That is, outputting reference HDMI-Video levels, no black crush, no white crush and no compression of the signal range.

In the Video Adjust menu:

White Level: All the way to the left (min setting)
Black Level: One notch down from center settings (towards min)
Black Setup: 7.5 IRE
HDMI Color Adjust: Enhanced

All other settings as default for the "HDMI Direct" preset.

Settings for HDMI output were tested for RGB only. Don't know how YCbCr is handled over HDMI.

Carl Sundbom


It appears Carl is not monitoring this thread, so does anyone have the equipment to reproduce his test? Here's why I ask:

He mentions that "all other settings as default" so I'm wondering what would be the impact of raising "GAMMA" a notch. I've noticed that it raises color saturation as indicated by the R/G/B bars on the AVIA color decoder check, which can be compensated by dropping "CHROMA level". Would it also ruin the magic settings above?

OK, I have firmware 506 and the PQ looks great but can anyone confirm these settings?



It appears Carl is not monitoring this thread, so does anyone have the equipment to reproduce his test? Here's why I ask:

He mentions that "all other settings as default" so I'm wondering what would be the impact of raising "GAMMA" a notch. I've noticed that it raises color saturation as indicated by the R/G/B bars on the AVIA color decoder check, which can be compensated by dropping "CHROMA level". Would it also ruin the magic settings above?
Hi AVFIle,

Still here. My settings will work with RGB output to keep BtB and WtW. I do not recommend messing with the gamma or chroma setting, since I have no idea what the impact would be. Better to adjust those in the display.

If you have the option, send YCbCr 4:2:2 instead of RGB. The "HDMI Direct" setting works perfectly then, preserving all the levels without having to tweak anything. That's the way I run the player now.

Hi Carl,

Yep, I've gone back to "HDMI Direct" and it seems to minimize the banding artifacts.

A lot of recent titles (eg: Hancock, Incredible Hulk) seem to have a very dark gamma to me, which is why I sometimes like to give GAMMA a little boost. This could just be the studios leaning towards Blu-ray as the quality format, DVD be damned.

Thanks for jumping in!

Hi Carl,

Yep, I've gone back to "HDMI Direct" and it seems to minimize the banding artifacts.

A lot of recent titles (eg: Hancock, Incredible Hulk) seem to have a very dark gamma to me, which is why I sometimes like to give GAMMA a little boost. This could just be the studios leaning towards Blu-ray as the quality format, DVD be damned.

Thanks for jumping in!
Most modern action movies have crushed blacks. It gives more "punch", but eliminates/hides shadow detail.

My firmware is still 306. Is that a big issue? I have not noticed any problems.

After 5 years of having the player, I just switched to Dolby Digital rather than DD to PCM. Who knows why I picked that setting originally, but the pure DD setting is so much better. It's causing me to rethink whether I need to replace my MC-8B processor!

I recently got a new receiver that doesnt have ilink, pio sc05. So now i am hooked up via analogue for sacd and dvd audio. Is there any special settings i should now be looking at since I am no longer sending audio over ilink?

I recently got a new receiver that doesnt have ilink, pio sc05. So now i am hooked up via analogue for sacd and dvd audio. Is there any special settings i should now be looking at since I am no longer sending audio over ilink?

Fire:

Post in the 05/07 dedicated forum. Page 94 of the manual is not very helpful. I believe the reciver does BM over analogs but I don't have that setup.

Hi AVFIle,

Still here. My settings will work with RGB output to keep BtB and WtW. I do not recommend messing with the gamma or chroma setting, since I have no idea what the impact would be. Better to adjust those in the display.

If you have the option, send YCbCr 4:2:2 instead of RGB. The "HDMI Direct" setting works perfectly then, preserving all the levels without having to tweak anything. That's the way I run the player now. Hi,
You mention Sending HDMI Direct, Which is what I do but you say its outputing YcBcR 4:2:2in direct mode, Did you mean YcBcR 4:4:4 because my DVDO VP50pro reports the Pioneer AV59 as outputing YcBcR 4:4:4 (576i) with the above settings..

I would'nt think that the HDMI YCBCR colour space would change from 4:4:4 to 4:2:2 when outputing Interlaced or Progressive ??....

Note that I have the Australian equivalent Pioneer AVI-969...

Cheers....

Just curious...with Blueray players becoming so cheap, how do they compare in upscaling regular DVDs vs. the DV-59AVi ???

It realy depends on what Blu-Ray player you get, meaning what VP Scaler chip is in the Player and how it has been implemented..

I would say with out A doubt that the new Oppo Blu-Ray play would do A better job of upscaling SD DVD's compared to the Pioneer 59AVI...

Cheers....

Just curious...with Blueray players becoming so cheap, how do they compare in upscaling regular DVDs vs. the DV-59AVi ???

Some of us with better outboard scalers use the 59AVi as a 480i pure direct transport still.

I for one use the 59Avi output from component for DVDs using pure 480i to my SC-09 and the SC-09's Marvel scaler/processor for DVD and other non HD sources.

Newer players generally don't have good component DACS and most don't allow 480i pure source direct signals. Pioneer's last few DVD players do, as does their BDP-51/05FD via component and HDMI.

With the exception of a very good outboard processor or a receiver with far superior processing built in (Silicon Optix Reon VX etc. or Marvel) most higher end BD players released today do have DVD processing/scaling options that are superior to that in the 59AVi.

Many new BD players, however, don't handle DVD or their layer changes very well at all. So the trade offs still exist.

Yep exactly eldithomaso,

With a stand alone Video processor you want to send 576i/480i for the best results and the Pioneers inc 59/969 AVI are one of the few DVD players that will send interlaced through its HDMI output in fact Pioneer Blu-Ray players output interlaced as well..

The only Grudge I have with this fantastic SD DVD player is the Pioneer 59AVI does'nt send 10bit YcBcR 4:2:2 colour space through its HDMI output only 8bit YcBcR 4:4:4 :( ....

Cheers...

question...

i had bought my current 59 used just for the ilink connection... i've now pressed it into service in another setup as strictly a cd player using the analog outs into an integrated amp...

i had noticed this before, but never bothered to think about it... does anyone have any input on what this connection might be?

clicky for picture (http://gallery.me.com/ccotenj1#100206&view=grid&bgcolor=black&sel=0)...

appears to have replaced the coax and toslink output ports...

more of a curiosity than anything else...

and as long as i'm asking questions... :)

anyone have any input on using the 2 channel analog outs vs. the multi-channel analog outs? do they follow the same path in the player?

question...

i had bought my current 59 used just for the ilink connection... i've now pressed it into service in another setup as strictly a cd player using the analog outs into an integrated amp...

i had noticed this before, but never bothered to think about it... does anyone have any input on what this connection might be?

clicky for picture (http://gallery.me.com/ccotenj1#100206&view=grid&bgcolor=black&sel=0)...

appears to have replaced the coax and toslink output ports...

more of a curiosity than anything else...
It's exactly what is is labeled as...Digital audio out.

question...
....................................i had noticed this before, but never bothered to think about it... does anyone have any input on what this connection might be?

clicky for picture (http://gallery.me.com/ccotenj1#100206&view=grid&bgcolor=black&sel=0)...

appears to have replaced the coax and toslink output ports...


Chris, looks like yours has been modified or missing something...
It should be a straight Coax and Toslink connection.
http://www.artistic-realms.com/charles/dv79avi/dv59out.jpg

yup, it's definitely modified somehow... because my previous one wasn't like that... just can't figure out what the modification might be... :confused: maybe the original spdif ports croaked, and someone wired that in there to use as a spdif out...

the optical port is gone entirely...

like i said, no biggie, as i've only used it for ilink and now for analog, but i'm powerful curious the more i think about it... and you know what i'm like... :o

Don't know if it's of interest... but finally found the brochure for the DV-59AVi..
Manual is still on Pioneer's website (http://pioneerusa.com/PUSA/Products/HomeEntertainment/Blu-rayDisc+DVD/EliteDVDPlayers/DV-59AVi?tab=D).

Brochure:
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pio/pe/images/portal/cit_3424/282719912Brochure-DV-59AVi.pdf

yup, it's definitely modified somehow... because my previous one wasn't like that... just can't figure out what the modification might be... :confused: maybe the original spdif ports croaked, and someone wired that in there to use as a spdif out...

the optical port is gone entirely...

like i said, no biggie, as i've only used it for ilink and now for analog, but i'm powerful curious the more i think about it... and you know what i'm like... :oI would connect It up to the coax input on the surround processor and see if it worx atleast you will know for sure...

It would be nice if it was SDI ?? but it looks to be in the wrong position...


Cheers...

I am just finally getting my 59avi integrated into my system and I'm having a problem with it not outputting 5.1.

I have it connected to my projector via HDMI and to my surround processor via coaxial digital. I am able to get both DTS and DD to the processor, but it will only send 3/2.1 and 2. When I press the audio button it only lists the 3/2.1 & 2 tracks and when I select a 5.1 track from the disk menu it reverts to 2.1. I have been through all the settings and have tried to disable anything related to down mixing and pcm, but I can't get it to pass 5.1.

Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks,

--stefan

PS: so if this has been addressed. I did try to search the thread.

I am just finally getting my 59avi integrated into my system and I'm having a problem with it not outputting 5.1.

I have it connected to my projector via HDMI and to my surround processor via coaxial digital. I am able to get both DTS and DD to the processor, but it will only send 3/2.1 and 2. When I press the audio button it only lists the 3/2.1 & 2 tracks and when I select a 5.1 track from the disk menu it reverts to 2.1. I have been through all the settings and have tried to disable anything related to down mixing and pcm, but I can't get it to pass 5.1.

Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks,

--stefan

PS: so if this has been addressed. I did try to search the thread.

Stefan:

The 59AVi if connected via HDMI will pass only 2 channel audio except for DVD-A discs. I see you are using coaxial digital - did you try Toslink?


In audio setup options from the main setup menu:
Page 36 - turn off 5.1 audio out; Turn ON digital audio out.
Page 37 - turn ON receiver IS Dolby Digital Compatible; and turn ON DTS compatible (your receiver supports this right?)
follow direction for PCM 96 setup
then press ENTER to save all settings.

Does that work?

I am just finally getting my 59avi integrated into my system and I'm having a problem with it not outputting 5.1.

I have it connected to my projector via HDMI and to my surround processor via coaxial digital. I am able to get both DTS and DD to the processor, but it will only send 3/2.1 and 2. When I press the audio button it only lists the 3/2.1 & 2 tracks and when I select a 5.1 track from the disk menu it reverts to 2.1. I have been through all the settings and have tried to disable anything related to down mixing and pcm, but I can't get it to pass 5.1.

Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks,

--stefan

PS: so if this has been addressed. I did try to search the thread.

This is the Pioneer way to show 5.1 ;)
3/2.1 = 3 front (= Left , Center, Right )/2 surround(= Right , Left ).1(=subwoofer)

Thanks for the quick reply. Those are the settings I had, but just to be sure I set them up again. The odd thing is that it will pass DTS and Dolby Digital, it is just forcing them to 2.1. I also tried pulling all the connections except composite and toslink with no luck.

Stefan:

The 59AVi if connected via HDMI will pass only 2 channel audio except for DVD-A discs. I see you are using coaxial digital - did you try Toslink?


In audio setup options from the main setup menu:
Page 36 - turn off 5.1 audio out; Turn ON digital audio out.
Page 37 - turn ON receiver IS Dolby Digital Compatible; and turn ON DTS compatible (your receiver supports this right?)
follow direction for PCM 96 setup
then press ENTER to save all settings.

Does that work?

Hkan, Thanks that was it. Silly notation coupled with a misconfiguration on the surround proc were causing my problem. (I had the side channel outputs configured to be second zone stereo instead of side.) You've gotta love how they take perfectly good standardized nomenclature and throw it out the window.

Hkan, Thanks that was it. Silly notation coupled with a misconfiguration on the surround proc were causing my problem. (I had the side channel outputs configured to be second zone stereo instead of side.) You've gotta love how they take perfectly good standardized nomenclature and throw it out the window.

sbraab:
5.1 is not standard nomenclature for audio processing

Do a quick search on Wikipidea and you will understand why
5.1 may differ from 4.0 vs 3/2.1

4.0 and 5.1 are not necessarily sufficient when 2/2.0 and 3/2.1 tells you more about the configuration of the sound source.

I have a PRO-141 Elite plasma and wondering whether it would be better to send 480i and get the plasma to scale etc to 1080p (this assumes the plasma is better at upscaling, I know I could just try both to see which is better).

Thanks

With the 59AVi, my preference is to use component to my receiver at 480i and iLink for audio, and let either my receiver or Kuro upscale to 1080p. With the 79AVi, I use HDMI @ 480i. I prefer the video of the 59AVi and use it exclusively for DVDs.
A lot depends on your equipment.. but in your case, IMO, I think you'll find your Kuro will do a better job of upscaling.

With the 59AVi, my preference is to use component to my receiver at 480i and iLink for audio, and let either my receiver or Kuro upscale to 1080p. With the 79AVi, I use HDMI @ 480i. I prefer the video of the 59AVi and use it exclusively for DVDs.
A lot depends on your equipment.. but in your case, IMO, I think you'll find your Kuro will do a better job of upscaling.

CHP is right:

The Kuro is a WAY WAY better scalar. For DVD's on the 59AVi I would try component first using progressive OFF.

You can try HDMI but I am not sure you will be as impressed. Try via the inital setup options for HDMI and select 720x480i and let's hear what you think.

If, however, you don't have an intermediary (receiver/pre-pro or scaler) the HDMI may look better via the Kuro direct connection. Some of us like CHP and I have receivers that DON'T touch HDMI signals at all (Most Pioneer receivers pass HDMI in pure form) so we use component connections at 480i and let the scaler in the receiver do its job.

Good luck.

CHP is right:

The Kuro is a WAY WAY better scalar. For DVD's on the 59AVi I would try component first using progressive OFF.

You can try HDMI but I am not sure you will be as impressed. Try via the inital setup options for HDMI and select 720x480i and let's hear what you think.

If, however, you don't have an intermediary (receiver/pre-pro or scaler) the HDMI may look better via the Kuro direct connection. Some of us like CHP and I have receivers that DON'T touch HDMI signals at all (Most Pioneer receivers pass HDMI in pure form) so we use component connections at 480i and let the scaler in the receiver do its job.

Good luck.

I guess to each his own... I have found that
feeding 480p from the DV-59AVi HDMI out
directly to my DLP (Mitsubishi WD-72833)
and letting the TV upscale all the way to
1080p gives me the best video. I've tried
outputting 480i as well as 1080i, but neither
was quite as crisp.

Audio is fed to an iLink input on the pre-pro.
The disadvantage of this setup is the need
to separately select video input on the TV
and audio input on the pre-pro. Turned out
it wasn't as big as deal as I thought it would
be.

-- Ron

I ended up sending 480i via HDMI into the Kuro (also suggested by Pioneer tech support)., compared to sending 1080i, to be honest it seemed very similar. I really have only been watching HD OTA and Blu-ray so far and suspect will spend 25% or so with SD dvd.

Thanks for all the opinions.

Main thing is what works for you, Jon SS:)

You're gonna love how it works with your 141FD! Enjoy!
And don't be afraid to experiment. It's an awesome player.